Carlos' words sent a shiver down Portia's spine. Engulfed by fear, she struggled to break free from the bodyguards, and screamed in a hysterical voice, "Mr. Huo, what do you want from me? Let go of me!"
With his eyes shut, Carlos asked casually, "Miss Gu, that's exactly what I should be asking you. What did you want with my wife, huh? What were you thinking, trying to drug my wife and her friend?" With those words, he opened his eyes and shot a sharp glance at the trembling Portia. "You had the guts to lay a finger on my wife! How dare you?!" he shouted between gnashed teeth.
"No, I didn't... I didn't..." Frightened by his icy-cold stare and the dangerous aura, Portia could hardly find her voice. She kept stammering, "I didn't..."
Carlos sneered and ordered to the bodyguards, "Deal with her. Enjoy yourselves."
Knowing that Portia was the daughter of the Gu family, Valerie didn't want her grandson to act rashly just for Debbie's sake. So she tried to persuade him, "Carlos, she's a girl. Don't do this..."
Clutching at her last straw of survival, Portia looked towards Valerie with her teary eyes and pleaded desperately, "Mrs. Valerie Huo, please help me..."
Carlos smirked at his grandmother. "She...is a girl? Then what about my wife and her friend? Aren't they girls too? Grandma, since you have enough mercy to spend on an irrelevant person, why don't you give a little thought to my wife, your own granddaughter-in-law?" he snapped, sounding sarcastic.
Shocked by his strong retort, Valerie took a quick step backwards.
Shifting his gaze back to Portia, he ordered angrily, "Take her out. Now!"
"Yes, Mr. Huo!" the three bodyguards answered together.
In an instant, they forcibly dragged Portia towards the door. Knowing that Carlos was not joking, she struggled to turn her head around and shouted in a panic-stricken voice, "Megan! It was Megan who told me that Debbie would be attending the tea party!"
Caught off guard, Megan's heart skipped a beat.
She had been keeping silent this whole time, afraid that Carlos' white hot rage would be directed towards her. As her name was pointed out, everyone's attention shifted to her.
Meeting Carlos' cold eyes, she shuddered and said in a shaky voice, "Uncle Carlos, no...I had nothing to do with this. I'm not even familiar with Portia. We've only met a few times. How is it even possible for me to collude with her to harm Aunt Debbie?"
Portia broke free from the bodyguards. She madly rushed back to the living room, and pointed at Megan, who was standing close to Valerie for her safety. "It was her! She told me that you were not in Y City that day, and that Debbie would attend the tea party wit
ing room, he heard everything.
With tear stains on her disheveled face, Portia quickly ran over to her brother and grabbed onto him as if he was a lifesaver. "Hayden, I know my mistakes now. Please save me..."
Although Portia had crossed the line this time, Hayden couldn't bear to see his sister suffer. Inhaling deeply, he looked at Carlos and begged, "Mr. Huo, this is all our fault. I have failed to guide my sister well. I'll make her apologize to Debbie. And I'll send her away from Y City, so that she will never stir up any troube for you again. Mr. Huo, please let her go this time."
Hayden had never acted so humbly in front of Carlos. Even when his company was put into deep crisis because of his love for Debbie, he never begged Carlos for mercy. But now, because of his sister's rash behavior, he had no choice but to eat the humble pie. He had to swallow his pride and ask for Carlos' mercy.
However, Carlos didn't buy it. Hayden's words carried no weight to him. How could he easily let Portia off the hook after she had attempted to drug his wife? He looked at the stunned lawyers and asked, "Kidnapping, attempted rape and intentional injury. What will the sentences be for all these crimes?"
He spoke in such a way that made their crimes sound immensely severe.
One of the lawyers cleared his throat and replied, "Mr. Huo, according to the law, whoever commits the crime of kidnapping shall be sentenced to more than ten years or even life imprisonment, and shall also be fined or be sentenced to confiscation of property. Taking or exposing women's nude pictures without consent constitutes a crime of invasion of privacy and insulting of women. And wounding another person with intent, causing serious injuries, shall result in three to ten years of imprisonment."